Temperature controlling device for incubators



May 22, 1945. A, E, WATERM N 2,376,641

TEMPERATURE CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR INGUBATORS Filed June 10, 1942 s Sheets-Sheet 1 .INVENTOR A2 Mae 5. Mire/-14 y 1945? A. E. WATERMAN 2,376,641

TEMPERATURE CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR INCUBATORS Filed June 10, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. I Azrfiuei MITEE/V/I/Y Arra 1 v May 22, 1945. I ,A. E. WATERMAN 2,376,641

TEMPERATURE CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR INCUBATORS Filed June "10, 1942 '5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR. A2 THUR E WrEeMA/v BY I .ATTOEIYEX Patented May 22, 1945 TEMPERATURE CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR INCUBATORS Arthur E. Waterman, Fort Atkinson, Wis., as-

signor to James Manufacturing Company, Fort Atkinson, Wis., a company of Wisconsin Application June 10, 1942, Serial No. 446,489

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a device adapted to control the temperature and prevent over-heating in an incubator after the birds begin to generate animal heat, at which time considerable animal heat is generated. In fact, at times enough animal heat is generated to overheat the eggs even if the regular heating mechanism has been off for some time. I

The present invention is particularly adapted for use in an incubator which operates on the single stage principle, wherein the cabinet is first filled with full incubating trays and after about 19 days the eggs are transferred to hatching trays which are inserted in the cabinet in place of the incubating trays, the cabinet being provided with convenient means for conditioning the air during the full cycle of incubating and hatching.

It is desired to create an environment or condition within the cabinet conducive to proper development of the chick germ and growth of the chick embryo.

This invention is particularly useful in incubators of the class after the 18th or 19th day and until the eggs are hatched. During approximately the first 15 days of the incubation period, for chicken eggs, the temperature control thermostat is set so that the average dry bulb temperature within the cabinet is approximately 99 It is desired that the maximum temperature never rise above 100 During this period little heat is furnished by the egg itself.

After a certain stage of embryo development.

animal heat is given off from the egg and from this stage until, the chick has hatched, the eggs themselves may maintain the heat within the cabinet independent of the heating element. During this latter period, it is important to have means for guarding against too great a rise in temperature. In other words, provision must be made to dissipate excessive egg heat and at the same time it is beneficial to add some moisture to the circulating ail.

In my device the desired results are accomplished by introducing cold water into preterably a coolingpan which is in heat exchange contact with the circulating air by mean of a thermally controlled cold water valve. The surplus water from the cooling pan is permitted to flow down into the humidity or evaporator pan where it absorbs latent heat'through evaporation and adds to the humidity of the circulating air.

In the present invention, a low temperature limit is predetermined through the adjust mentoi a thermostat and the high temperature limit is controlled by means of a cooling thermostat; that is, there are two thermostats, one to contact the resisters when the temperature falls below a predetermined point and to disconnect the resisters when the temperature rises to a predetermined point, the other thermostat being adapted to operate the cooling water valve as herebefore outlined. I

From approximately the 14th or 15th day until the chicks are hatched, the average temperature within the cabinet will gradually increase until a predetermined maximum temperature is reached, at which time the cooling valve is turned on by the cooling thermostat.

It will be seen that when a conventional incubating and hatching cabinet is equipped with my temperature controlling device, the two thermal devices, cooperating with the body heat generated, positively and accurately control the temperature of the interior of the cabinet. With the use of my device the humidity within the cabinet is controlled by evaporating the moisture and this moisture, associated with my improved cooling device and the 'means for automatically heating the air in the cabinet, provides an over all controlling means.

As illustrated in the drawings and as will hereinafter be described, I provide preferably a single cabinet for incubating and hatchin the eggs.

All eggs in the cabinet will continue in the same stage of development, therefore the eggs will be hatched at approximately the same time.

With my device, low and high limits on temperature are established in which the eggs themselves may adjust the temperature within these limits during the latter stages of incubation and during hatching in accordance with natural development.

To these and other useful ends, my invention consists of parts, combinations of parts, or their equivalents, and mode of operation, as hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accomnanvin drawings in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a front view of a conventional designates the sidepanels of the cabinet. Numerals l2 and |3 designate the top and bottom panels of the cabinet. Numeral l4 designates the rear panel of the cabinet. The door of the cabinet carries a partition I 5 which terminates at its bottom and top as at l6 and H. The side edges of partition |5 are provided with forwardly extending flanges- M-Ih which contact the inside surface of the door near the inside surface of panels I| forming an air duct 34 for about the width of the door.

Panel I5 is provided with an. opening. l9 at its vertical center and door I is provided with an aperture 20. A motor 2| is centrally positioned within aperture 20 providing. an annular air inlet space 22.

A decorative cap 23 is positioned over the outer end of the motor. Permanent air inlets 24 are provided in member 23. These inlets are adapted to supply the minimum amount of fresh air needed. An adjustable air inlet 24 is provided in member 23 so the additional volume of air permitted' to enter the cabinet may be manually controlled. Motor 2| is provided with a fan 25 which is positioned adjacent the plane of the in side of panel l and extends radially slightly less than the diameter of opening |9 so member l5 may be removed bodily or opened hinge-like so as to expose the parts within the duct 34 for cleaning and inspection purposes without removingthe fan; clearly the centrifugal action of the fan will create a vacuum between panel I5 and the door so air will be drawn toward the motor from the top and bottom of the cabinet and through annular opening 22.

An annular plate 26 is provided having a centrally positioned aperture 2'! of about the same diameter as aperture l9" so the" vacuum created by the rear side of the fan will draw air from the center of the cabinet through aperture 21; thus when the fan is in operation, air will travel somewhat on the lines indicated by arrows in Figure 2.

I provide a circular resister 28 in the position shown in Figures 2' and 4, the resister being sup-' ported on the door by suitable insulators 29; It will be seen that the maiorpart of the circulating air will pass this resister so that the temperature of the air can be maintained on the on and oil principle by means of a thermally controlled switch as will hereinafter apear.

At each side of the cabinet I mount spaced incubator but it is particularly adapted for a single stage incubator as illustrated wherein all of the incubating trays are first filled withleg s and then about the 19th day or about whenthe chicks begin to pip, the eggs are transferred from incubating trays 32 to hatching trays 33 as described in the. next above. mentioned. co-pending application.

As will hereinafter appear, the air is conditimed to suit the. entire single stage process or from the time the eggs are placed in the incubating cabinet until the chicks are hatched.

Referring particularly to Figure 4, it will be seen that an evaporator pan 45 is preferably positioned in the bottom of the cabinet and another evaporator pan 4| is positioned in the top of the cabinet. Pan 4|) is far enough below the bottom tray to permit circulating". to pass over the: surface of the water in the pan and pan 4| is positioned directly above the top tray and a short distance below cooling pan 42 so the air passing between these pans will be in heat exchange contact with the water in these two pans. Pan 4| is provided with an overflow pipe 43 which drains into pan 40 as at 44. Pan 4|! at its front end is provided with a drain or overflow pipe 45. Suitable means may be provided in pans 4D and 4| to expose more or less surface area of the water to the passing air, for example as illustrated in Patent No. 2,267,244, December 23,. 1941, Markey, see member III in Figure 3.

The method is too well known to require further description.

Pan 42 is provided with an overflow pipe 46 so the surplus water in this pan will drain into pan 4|" and in turn the surplus water in pan 4| will drain into pan 4n and finally if there is a surplus it will escape from this pan through outlet 45.

Imount a valve 55 preferablyon the top of the cabinet as shown, having a cold water supply connection 5|. The valve is held normally closed and, adapted to be opened by means of a solenoid 52: The valve and solenoid are too well known to require further description. When valve 50 is opened by energizing the coil of member 52, water will flow from member 56 into a pan 53 from whence the wateroverflows into pan 42 through tube 54. Valve 5|! is adapted to be operated on the on and off principle.

I provide a manually controlled outlet valve 55 so when valve 50' is open, valve 55 may be adjusted to the desired flow of water into pan 53 through a nozzle 56.

In the" upper panel of the cabinet, I provide inlet switch contact members 57, 58 and 59 and outlet switch members 60; BI and 62. Adjacent switch members are connected together when the door is closed by means of suitable plates on the door as disclosed in Patent N 0. 2,267,244, December23, 1941 (see Figures 2, 4 and 5). A wire 63 operatively connects member 52 to the supply line switch as at 65 which is located outside of the cabinet or in some convenient place on the Wall ofthe building.

A wire 64 forms an operating connection between members 52 and 57. Members 60 and 5| are connected to a thermally controlled switch 68 as illustrated and another thermally controlled switch 69 is connected to member 6| by means of wire 10; Wire 10 is connected to motor 21 as at H and also to member 69 as illustrated.

Resister 28 is connected to switch 69 as illustrated and to member 62 by means of wire 12 as illustrated. Wire 12 is further connected to metor2| as at 13.

Member 59 is connected to wire 63 by means of wire 74 and member 58 is connected. to the line switch at 65 by means of wire15; thus when the door'isclosed motor 2| is energized and heater'28 and valve 55 with their thermostats B9 and 68. are connected to the circuits. Member 68' is positioned in duct 34 about as. shown in Figure 2 having preferably an exterior manually controlled adjusting means 1.6. Directly in. rear of member 68 I provide an opening 18 in member lViember 69 is positioned in duct 34 as illus- I trated in Figure 2 having preferably an exterior manually controlled means 19 and plate I5 having an opening 80 directly in line with member 69. It will be seen that members 68 and B9 are in the path of the circulating air within the upper end of duct 34 and that these members will be somewhat influenced by the air in the cabinet because of openings 18 and 80.

Member 69 is adapted to maintain a predetermined minimum temperature in the cabinet and member 68 is adapted to open valve 511 when exposed to air above a predetermined maximum temperature. For example, during very warm weather and when there is enough body heat released to raise the temperature of the circulating air in the cabinet above a predetermined point, then valve 50 will be opened and the cold water in pan 42 will act to cool the circulating air in the cabinet.

Member 69 is adapted to maintain the normal temparature of the air in the cabinet on the on and oif principle. However this device cannot prevent an abnormal rise in temperature caused by released body heat at which time member 68 will act to prevent a further rise in temperature door of the cabinet is open. This occurs only infrequently and at very short intervals particularly when the trays are being changed; however without the action of the fan, the air within the cabinet will largely be dormant and immediately upon closing the door, circulation begins and the automatic parts will again function as usual.

In all modern incubators, means (not shown), are provided whereby the eggs may be turned at stated intervals, Such means are generally manually operated.

Having thus shown and described my invention, I claim:

1. An incubator of the class described, comprising a cabinet having a number of egg holding trays therein, means for circulating air and for maintaining a predetermined minimum temperature thereof, a cooling water pan positioned above the path of the circulating air and in contact therewith, a cooling water supply valve having an outlet to said cooling water pan, electrical means for opening the valve, a thermally controlled switch positioned in the cabinet and having an operating connection to said valve operating means and adapted to cause the valve to open when the circulating air rises above a predetermined temperature, an evaporator pan positioned below said first pan and cooperating therewith to form an air passageway therebetween, and an overflow drain from said water pan to said evaporator pan whereby the first pan may act to cool the circulating air and the evaporator pan may act to cool by evaporation and humidify the circulating air.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 including; a third pan positioned in the bottom of said cabinet and arranged so the circulating air passes over the pan, and an overflow drain from said evaporator pan to the third pan.

3 A device as recited in claim 1 including; said valve outlet having a manually adjustable valve therein adapted to determine the volume of flow from said first valve when the first valve is open, and an opening in said outlet positioned between the top of the cabinet and said last valve adapted to expose to view the water being fed to said cooling water pan.

' ARTHUR E. WATERMAN. 

